Scores

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“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”  ― Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums)

After dropping three straight, Worden Williams finally hit the off switch on the snooze alarm and woke up in a big way, delivering their best performance of the season in a commanding 19–7 win over Carlsbad Inn. Channeling their inner Rip Van Winkle, the Dubs broke out with a hit parade, as every player in the lineup recorded at least one hit—led by a red-hot top of the order.

For the second consecutive game, Ken Auerbach was the spark, going 4-for-5 with six RBIs, three runs, and a home run. He was well-supported by David Hartzog, who returned from a stint on the IL with a perfect 5-for-5 day. Bob Buscher and John Symanski were 4-for-5, while, Tom Benacka (who added a home run), Mark Riserbato, and Gordon Recht each notched multiple hits.

On the defensive side, the Dubs held Carlsbad Inn to single digits—a sure sign that both bats and gloves were working in tandem. The strong showing served as a reminder that, even out of playoff contention, WW wasn’t mailing it in.

Carlsbad Inn, known for its powerful lineup, couldn’t get much going offensively despite some bright spots. Steve Sexton led the way with a perfect 4-for-4 outing, while Oscar Delgado and Jim Goertzen both went 3-for-4, with Goertzen adding a home run. Defensively, CBI remained sharp in the field.

It was also great to see Walt Webber back on the diamond this season. A former WW player who spent time on the IL, Walt returned to play for CBI, bringing infectious enthusiasm to the field—no small feat for a player in his 80s.

A special thanks goes out to Larry Wadalavage for subbing in for WW, and to Johnny Brand for his typically impeccable work behind the plate as umpire.

"Who was the game MVP? Easy. The Margonator."

- Jeff Payton, DR manager

On a pleasantly warm day on Alga 2, the Draft Dodgers extended their winning streak and pushed their record to 18-6-0. It was not, however, through a barrage of hits or through a shut-down defensive effort. It was Margo Jacobo (a.k.a. "The Margonator") spinning at full speed: pitching, hitting, and defending.

The Therapists jumped out of the box with 3 runs in the 1st and added 2 in the 3rd, while the Dodger bats could only muster 1 each in the 1st and 2nd, but then were able to put a rally together and scored 4 in the 3rd to take a 6-5 lead. GA took the lead right back at 8-6 with 3 in the 4th ...  anyone's game at this point ... but unfortunately that was all the bats had in them. The Dodgers erupted for 5 in the 6th and added insurance runs in the 8th and 9th, leaving the final score at 13-8.

As you can tell by the score, pitching and defense were important for both teams, and Steve Berry for GA and Margo Jacobo for DR were excellent with only 1 BB each. Margo helped her own cause by making some nice plays at pitcher including getting a key double play started. Both outfields were active shagging fly balls, some quite long. 

Key hitters for the Therapists were Paul Thomas and Gene Smith, both 3/4, and Dan Frye at 2/3. Barb Pardo smacked a nice double to center. 

The Dodger attack were led by The Margonator (3/4, RBI), Gene LaChimia (2/3, 2 RBIs), Mike Berry (3/4, RBI), and Super-Sub Al Castaneda (2/4, 2 RBIs). Kevin McBarron* wasn't himself but still managed to chip in 2 RBIs on shallow fly balls. 

The Dodgers wish to thank Al Castaneda for subbing, and both teams thank Barry Anderson for a nice job umpiring. 

* p.s. Just kidding Kevin! 3/4, 2 RBIs. 😆

Hello…is anybody there? 

Pardon me for asking, but it’s been three weeks and four games since this reporter was last tasked with the game write-up. Cuz we’ve sucked ever since our last victory on April 15 (coincidently, the last game Tom Carney appeared in the burgundy threads; more on that to follow). In that time, the Ling-weenies have fallen on hard times and tumbled in the standings from 1stto 3rd place. Desperate times call for desperate measures. What we needed was a Re-in-Carney-tion (think Shirley MacLaine people!). Lo and behold the aforementioned Carney appeared at the Pine Ave field today to restore order, buoy confidence, and spread fear and loathing to the rest of the Old Fart League. WE ARE BACK!

OK, enough of the drama. Nucci’s and PG consultants squared off under ideal conditions this morning. With a full complement of players, Nucci’s stormed the field like the A-Team in that horrible 70’s TV show shouting “We Pity the Fools!!!!!!!” Mr. T (aka Tom) was back in the fold and all was well. With PG putting up two runs in the top of the 1st, Nucci’s responded with a 5-spot to set the tone. This losing streak is OVUH.

After the first frame, the game settled into a gentle pace with Nucci’s steadily adding on to build an 11-5 lead through six innings. The Groupies rallied for three in the 7th to tighten things up to 11-8 and cause the Burgundy head cases a possible existential crisis. But like the battle tested squad they are, Nucci’s responded with a 5-run rally in the bottom of the 8th started with key greenies from the bottom of the batting order (Karen Smith and Kevin McAllister) followed by RBI knocks from Kevin Davidge, Tom Carney, Laurie Mills, Jimmy Smythe and Carlos Cevallos, thus sending things into the final inning with significant padding. PG tallied one run to bring the final score to 16-9. A collective sigh of relief was expelled.

For the Purple Rain team, Lil Keehan and Russ Roopenian combined to manage the damage from the PG bats. They were supported by strong defensive contributions from Cevallos at 3rdand Laurie Mills in left. The offensive load was carried by Tom Carney 4/4 & 3 RBI, Carlos Cevallos 4/4 & 2 RBI, Laurie Mills 3/4 & 3 RBI and Jimmy Smythe 3/3 & 2 RBI.

For PG, they were led by Keith Richards and Dennis O’Hern with 4 hits each. Super sub-Leigh Peterson pitched in 4 hits and a walk. Dennis also made a few running snags in left center field and managed not to break any fingers! 

PG thanks Leigh Peterson and David Erwine for substituting and both teams thank Roney Lewis for umping a clean contest.

Carlsbad Police Officers Association and Village Pie Shop met at Calavera today in a battle between the last two teams in the league, and CPA came away with the victory and clinched 9th place!  No one on the team could remember the last time we had won a game.

CPA started out strong, scoring five runs on six straight hits with no outs in the first inning. VPS scored two runs in the first and second innings to narrow the lead to 5-4. CPA scored four in the 3rd and three in the 5th for a 12-5 lead. However, VPS rallied in the 6th to score five runs on seven hits and narrowed the lead to 12-10. CPA scored three in the 7th, and then followed with five more in the 8th on a seven hit attack that began in the bottom half of the order. VPS scored two in the 8th, but was shut out in the ninth with the game ending on a double play for 21-12 CPA win.

Dan Miserany led the CPA hitting attack, going 5 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs and four runs scored. Donato Domaguin also went 5 for 5, with 3 RBIs and four runs scored. Bob Loperena went 4 for 5 with a triple and four runs scored, and Jerry Galiley also went 4 for 5. Craig Wheatcroft went 3 for 5 with a sacrifice fly and 3 RBIs. Elizabeth Baily went 2 for 5 with a triple and 4 RBIs. Everyone on the team had at least one hit.

David Ward went 4 for 4 to lead the VPS hitters. Rod Johnson, Teddy Badillo and Pat Driscoll all went 3 for 4. Everyone on VPS also had at least one hit.

Gary Soper, a CPA substitute, and Rod Johnson both pitched well. Both teams played fairly solid defense and CPA turned three double plays to keep runners off the bases.

CPA thanks Gary Soper and Joel Kudren for substituting today.

 
Bye Teams:  That Pizza Place

                      Pizza Port Brewery

The 13-9 Worden Williams Dubs hosted the 16-6 Draft Republicans today at Alga 3. No bees in sight this time; but there was a healthy dose of competitive buzz from both teams. 

The Dodgers put up a couple of runs in the top of the 1st, but the Dubs said “we’ll see your 2 and raise you 3” on the strength of 4 straight hits followed by a triple by Ken Aurbach. From there on it was a steady dose of good defense and some timely hitting by the Dodgers, who scored in each inning. 

  The Dubs were led at the plate by Ken Aurbach (3/4, 2 triples, 5 RBIs); the rest is classified Top Secret 😎.  The Dodgers attack was led by Kevin McBarron (5/5, HR, 5 RBIs) and Bob Tompkins (4/5, 2 triples, 2 RBIs). At 3/4 were Gene LaChimia (3 RBIs), Jeff Schneider (3 RBIs), Dale Miller (2 RBIs), Steve Newberg, and Margo (The Margonator) Jacobo. Kirsten Mildbrandt also blasted a home run in the 2nd, and Jerry Nuanez worked 2 walks to sustain key rallies.  

Mike Endeman for the Dubs and The Margonator for the Dodgers pitched strong complete games. 

Many nice plays all over the field by both defenses; but gotta mention a body sacrificing diving catch by center fielder Dale Miller, who probably stopped at CVS to pick up some high strength Advil on his way home. 

Both teams thank Mike Brower for navigating the minefield to call balls and strikes. 

As the regular season winds down, Carlsbad Inn and That Pizza Place faced off at Alga today.  Not a lot of runs were scored as the pitching and defense reigned supreme for both teams.  The score was tied 1-1 until the bottom of the third when CBI put up a fiver, finishing with a bases clearing double by Kevin Lynch.  From that point on, CBI maintained their lead the rest of the way for a 12-8 win.

Leading the way for the Pizza guys was Jeff Van Siclen who went 3 for 3 and knocked in 3 RBIs. Also contributing with 2 for 3 days were manager Dan Smith, Larry Weinberger, Gary Soper and David Shinn, David also hitting a 2 run homer, the only one of the game.  Big hitters for CBI included Jim Goertzen (4/4), Oscar Delgado (2/3) and Donna Englemann who also had 2 key hits.  Excellent pitching by both TPP’s Gary Soper and CBI’s Jimmie Martin kept the bats relatively quiet today.  

Big thank yous to Sherre Lovick for subbing today for CBI at first base and to Joe Raffa for calling a good game.

Things were looking dicey for Gaspar as it was clinging to a 12-11 lead in the bottom of the ninth with the top of the Carlsbad Police Officers Association order coming up. A lead-off single brought the tying  run to the plate. Gaspar SS Gene Smith then snagged a hard-hit grounder in the hole and was able to get one out at 2B for the first out. Rover Oscar “Dawg" Castillo then scooped up a ground up the middle, stepped on the bag and threw a strike to first for a game-ending double play.

In a race that has mesmerized the entire league, Gaspar clinched eighth place with the win.  Gaspar now stands at 6-14-2 while CPOA dropped to 4-16-2 with only two games left.

“It’s great to have eighth place locked up,” said Gaspar Manager Barry Stangl. “If we had any subs I’d be able to sit my starters and get ready for the playoffs. I mean, get ready to watch the playoffs. The win was critical because, well, I didn’t know if they made ninth place ribbons.”

Stangl, with champagne dripping from his hair, said he wasn’t sure the solo home run he hit in the eighth inning to give Gaspar the lead would be enough for the win.

Defense was key for Gaspar as it held CPOA scoreless over the final three innings and gave up only two runs in the last five innings. Smith quelched one rally when he grabbed a grounder and held the runner at third by running all the way to 1B to get the second out of the eighth inning. A grounder got Gaspar out of the inning.

CPOA put up four runs in the first inning and three more in the third to take a 7-2 lead. It was 10-6 after five innings when Gaspar slugged its way to a five-run inning and its first lead of the game. Linda Wolf’s triple in the bottom of the sixth was key to CPOA tying the game at 11-11.

After that it was all zeroes for both teams except for Stangl’s go-ahead home run.

Dennis “Ray Ray” Rayford was 4-for-4 with a home run to lead the Gaspar attack. Stangl was 3-for-4 on the day. Paul Thomas had three hits and three RBI, and David Bosque had three hits and two RBI for the winners. Castillo, Smith and sub Dennis Kemp each had two hits in the win.

CPOA was led by Bob Loperena who went 5-for-5 including a lead-off home run in the first. Dan Miserany and Craig Wheatcroft each had four hits. Donato Domaguin, Jerry Galiley, and Wolf each had two hits.

Even umpire Barry Anderson was excited to be a part of the game. “I could have umpired the Nucci’s-Pizza Port game which had playoff implications, but I couldn’t pass up working this game to determine eighth place.”

Thanks, Barry!

Pizza Port Brewery claimed a playoff spot today with a close come from behind victory in the 9th inning. Joe Dimambro drove in a run with a sacrifice fly tying the game in the top of the 9th followed by Larry Wadalavage game winning rbi single. Both had rbi hits in the 7th putting PPB ahead by a run until Laurie Mills hit a 2 out 2 run homer in the bottom of the 7th to put Nucci’s ahead 12-11.

Leading hitters for PPB who scored 4 runs and had 4 hits were Ken Thompson and Roney Lewis. Super Sub Teddy Badillo had 3 hits and 4 rbis. Joel Kudren and Roney Silverman each had 2 hits.

Laurie Mills was the defensive star of the game along with Ron Silverman as they made numerous great plays.

Both teams thank plate umpire Bob Porter. 

Bye Teams:  Plotkin Group

                      Village Pie Shop